THE Liberal Democrats’ leader Sir Vince Cable visited a Cowley site that will soon be redeveloped – but was accused of ‘breath taking hypocrisy’.

Sir Vince met councillors and Oxford West and Abingdon MP Layla Moran outside the Templars Square Shopping Centre in Cowley.

The party has said more affordable housing should be built at a new £60m redevelopment there, with just over a fifth set to meet that classification.

Read also: New Lib Dem leader of Oxfordshire Growth Board reveals major review plan

Sir Vince said: “There are problems with getting more affordable social housing. There’s criticism of the local Oxford Labour Party for that reason.

“And I’m supporting Layla’s activities on Brexit and the NHS and what it means.”

Last month, Oxfordshire hospital chiefs said a ‘significant’ and ‘unexpected’ number of EU nurses had left their posts. The Lib Dems under Sir Vince’s leadership have been consistently opposed to Brexit and advocates of a People’s Vote on any Brexit deal.

But Alex Hollingsworth, the city council’s cabinet member for planning and sustainable transport, accused Sir Vince of ‘breath taking hypocrisy’.

Read also: New Lidl to open at Oxford retail park

Mr Hollingsworth said the reason the Templars Square development will have 23 per cent affordable housing is due to conditions in in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), passed when he was a cabinet minister in the coalition government.

He said: "The Templars Square planning application involved the full-scale reconstruction of the shopping centre as well as the flats. The developer was able to prove that the scheme could only afford 23 per cent affordable housing not the usual 50 per cent.

"The way they did this was to use the viability test methodology laid down by the coalition government as part of the NPPF which was introduced with a fanfare for being pro-business by the then Business Secretary - Vince Cable!"

Sir Vince later met Lib Dem student activists and spoke at the Oxford Union.

The company behind the redevelopment of the Cowley shopping centre said it remains 'fully committed' to it – despite no work taking place nearly two years after planning permission was first granted.

Read also: Work on £9.1m new Botley Road cycle paths could start in the spring

New River was told by the city council it could build more than 200 homes, two restaurants and a hotel on the Between Towns Road site in July 2017. The Castle Street car park will be demolished.

Andrew Gant, the leader of the Lib Dem group on Oxford City Council, said: “It’s got to be the right housing in the right places. In the city, we have consistently said the city council has given too much emphasis to employment growth instead of the housing that the people really need.”

Lib Dems now lead two Oxfordshire councils after last month’s local elections.

Read also: Latest court results for Oxfordshire

The party comfortably won Vale of White Horse District Council and is the leading partner in a coalition at South Oxfordshire District Council with the Greens. The party also won most votes cast in Oxford in the recent European elections.

Asked whether it was possible the Lib Dems could win control of the city council next May in local elections, Ms Moran said: “I think we are building support. If we harness that support and Labour doesn’t change its position on Brexit we are in anything goes territory.”